Storytelling Humans: for Better or Worse

The first step to being a human who is moderately self-aware is to know that humans are mean-making creatures. We make meaning out of everything! Hell, we love it so much that we assign meaning to things that are completely random and meaningless. 

One way I like to share this in the Hold the Standard™ Summit is by writing the word “Omaha” on the whiteboard. Then, I turn to the group and ask, what does this mean to you? 

Finally someone will raise their hand and offer an answer.

Peyton Manning fans say is “the thing Peyton Manning says when he’s playing quarterback!” Sometimes someone says, “My cousin lives in Omaha, Nebraska.” A history buff says, “It’s an important beach US troops took in WWII.” 

And, of course, these are all “correct.” For baseball players like myself, Omaha is the ultimate promised land. It’s the home of the College World Series and that word guided fifteen years of dreams and work ethic. 

Frankly, Omaha is just five letters in a particular order, but we humans have assigned tons of meaning to it. Silly example? Maybe. But, what would be really silly is you not knowing that you’re creating meaning everywhere around you – some of it’s helpful, some of it’s not.